Cooking!

On this page I will post all the recipes I have made (with pics)! *please be patient while I add the recipes and pics*

Tortilla (basic tortilla recipe)

(This recipe can be found at Epicurious.com. Here is the link: Tortilla Espanola.)

Yield: serves 4 to 8 for tapas or lunch
Difficulty: Easy/Medium (the flipping part can be a bit challenging!)
Active Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 3/4 hour

Ingredients: 
1 1/2 cups oil
2 1/2 pounds boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/3-inch dice
2 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon coarse salt
10 large eggs 


Preparation:

Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and add potatoes, onion, and half salt. Cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetable are very tender but not colored, about 45 minutes. Drain vegetables in a large colander set over a bowl and cool 5 minutes. Lightly beat eggs in a large bowl. Gently stir in vegetables with 1 tablespoon oil, salt and pepper to taste.


Return 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and add mixture, pressing potatoes flush with eggs. Cook over low heat, covered, 12-15 minutes, or until almost set. Turn off heat and let stand, covered 15 minutes. Shake skillet gently to make sure the tortilla is set on the bottom and not sticking to the skillet. Invert the tortilla onto a large flat plate and slide back into skillet, bottom side up (alternatively, especially if the top is loose at this point, slide the tortilla onto a plate first. Cover it with skillet and invert tortilla back into skillet). Round edge with a rubber spatula and cook over low heat, covered, 15 minutes more, or until set. Slide tortilla onto a serving plate and serve warm or at room temperature.


Cooks' note:
Tortilla keeps, covered and chilled, 2 days

*The first time I made this recipe the tortilla was too big to flip so I put the whole pan in the oven. This worked well although its considered cheating haha. WARNING: Only pans with metal handles can be put in the oven!!!

*If you want to add other items to the recipe (like I did with the veggies) just make sure to sautee/boil/cook them ahead of time and then add. Make sure to also add in moderation (you don't need much!). In mine I added mushrooms, red pepper, asparagus, and string beans but I would recommend just sticking with 1 or 2 veggies, if any.

slice of the same tortilla

whole tortilla (recipe modified)

Plain tortilla- excuse the burnt top!

slice of the plain tortilla

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Fried spinach with breadcrumbs:

Yield: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Active Time: 20 min
Total Time: 30 min

Ingredients:

1 bunch of spinach, rinsed and chopped (large pieces)

2 med slices of bread

Olive oil (1/8 to 1/4 cup)

1 tsp paprika

2 whole cloves of garlic

1 tsp vinegar (white or apple cider) 

Preparation:

In a large frying pan pour in enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.  

Heat oil in the skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and add the garlic. Let cook for a few minutes to give oil a garlic taste. Take the garlic out (after it starts to turn brown) and set aside. Take the pan off the heat and add the paprika. Stir quickly to blend the oil and spice together. Once mixed, put back on the burner and add the 2 slices of bread. Let them fry for a few minutes on each side. Once the bread is fried (on both sides) but not burnt, set aside. 

Now add the spinach to the oil. While the spinach is cooking, put the bread slices and garlic in a blender/food processor and mix until the texture is that of breadcrumbs. Continue to cook the spinach until it begins to wilt. Once the spinach has started to wilt, add the breadcrumbs from the mixer and stir in with spinach. Keep stirring until the spinach is all wilted. Season with vinegar, salt and pepper and serve.

The final product!

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Stuffed (Pork) Fillets with Red Pepper Sauce

Yield: 4

Difficulty: Easy

Active Time: 20 min

Total Time: 40 min

Ingredients:

8 pork fillets, butterflied (open in the form of a book)

8 slices of cheese (preferably white)

2 garlic cloves

oregano (dry)

breadcrumbs (about 1-2 cups)

olive oil

1 egg

1 small jar/can of canned whole red peppers (in Spain they're called "pimiento de Piquillo")

        *not spicy ones unless you want your sauce to have a real kick!*

200ml evaporated milk (a little more than 3/4 cup)

salt & pepper

Preparation:

Season the fillets with salt and pepper. Take the first garlic clove (peeled) and cut in half. Rub the inside of the fillets with the garlic and then season with a little bit of oregano (I actually chopped up the garlic and added it into the fillets.

Fill the fillets with one slice of cheese each (I also added spinach). Now fold the fillets up like you are closing a book so that all of the filling stays inside.

Place the breadcumbs in a large plate or bowl. In another medium bowl, beat the egg. Meanwhile, Get your frying pan ready by pouring in the oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) and warming up over medium heat. Now that the pan is ready, dip the stuffed pork fillet into the beaten egg. Then dredge in the breadcrumbs. Once the oil in the pan is heated up (but not smoking) place the coated fillet in the pan. Repeat with the remaining fillets. Cook them about 3-5 min on each side, until completely cooked through. Once cooked through place on a paper towel to get rid of any excess oil.

As the pork is cooking, get the sauce ready. Place the red peppers (about 4-5 med sized ones) in a blender/food processor along with the evaporated milk and 1 garlic clove. Blend together for about a minute until relatively smooth (like a sauce). The sauce is supposed to be served warm but this is not necessary. If you do want the sauce warm heat in a sauce pan, constantly stirring so the mix will not burn.

Serve the stuffed pork fillets on a plate accompanied by the sauce.

second try- much better!

The first try...without sauce

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Lentil Soup (Lentil and Sweet Red Pepper Soup with Cumin and Black Pepper)

(This recipe can be found at Epicurious.com. Here's the link: Lentil Soup)

Yield: about 5 cups

Difficulty: Easy

Active Time: 20 min

Total Time: 40 min

Ingredients:

1 cup lentils (preferably small)

1 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprig, finely chopped (including stem)

1 Turkish bay leaf or 1/2 California bay leaf

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

24 whole black peppercorns

1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup finely diced carrot

1/4 cup finely diced celery

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Preparation:

Simmer lentils with parsley, bay leaf, broth, and water in a 4-quart saucepan, uncovered, until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. 

While lentils are cooking, coarsely grind peppercorns with cumin using a mortar and pestle or an electric coffee/spice grinder. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook bell pepper, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add spices and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and remaining 3 tablespoons oil and cook, stirring, until carrot is tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in lentil mixture and discard bay leaf. 

Purée 1 cup soup in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Stir purée into remaining soup and reheat over moderate heat, stirring. Season soup with salt and pepper. If soup seems too thick, thin with water to desired consistency. 

Cooks' note:

Soup can be made 1 day ahead and cooled, uncovered, then chilled, covered.

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Chocolate Truffles (called "Bombons" in Spain)

Yield: 50-60 truffles

Difficulty: Easy

Active Time: 20 min

Total Time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients:

300 g dark chocolate (about 10.5oz)

200 g white chocolate (about 7oz)

100 g butter (about 6.5 tablespoons)

1 can of condensed milk (13oz can)

1 box of chocolate sprinkles (or whatever other topping you would like. Finely ground nuts are also good, almonds for example)

Mini paper/muffin cups to hold each truffle

Preparation:

Mix the first 4 ingredients in a med- large (microwaveable) bowl. Place in the microwave and cook for about 2-3 min. The mixture should be melted but not overcooked. Mix all the ingredient together with a spoon until the mix appears to be one color (looks like melted milk chocolate) and butter is mixed in well. Next place the bowl in the fridge until the mixture is set (about 30-60min)

Once mixture is relatively set, get your truffle-making station ready. Keep paper towels nearby as your hands will get COVERED in butter. Pour the chocolate sprinkles into a bowl.

Make little balls, between about ¾ to 1 inch wide. Then roll in the bowl chocolate sprinkles, covering each truffle completely. Place each finished truffle in the mini paper/muffin cup. Set aside and repeat with the rest of the chocolate.

Let the truffles sit for a few hours so they may become harder. If you’re in a rush, place them in the fridge to harden up. Just remember to let them sit out for a little bit (30 min) before serving- they’re best at room temperature.

*This is best done with 2 people. One person rolls out the truffles and the other dips and covers the truffles in the sprinkles. If you are doing this by yourself you may want to roll out all the chocolate balls first and place onto wax paper or a plate. Wash your hands to remove all the butter and then roll the chocolate truffles in the chocolate sprinkles.

You can store the truffles in Tupperware at room temperature or in the fridge.

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Tuna Salad Variation (the actual name is "celery stalk with tuna")

(This recipe can be found on my new favorite spanish food website

www.adelgazar.net/cocina/recetas.htm (site is in Spanish). Here's the link: Tuna Salad Variation)

Yield: 4

Difficulty: Easy

Active Time: 15 min

Total Time: 15 min

Ingredients:

4 small cans of natural tuna (without oil)

4 stalks of celery (washed)

½ red pepper

12 green olives (without pits)

2 tablespoons of mayo (light)

4 teaspoons of lemon juice

2 small pickles

12 white asparagus in jar (optional)

Preparation:

Chop the red pepper into small pieces.  Repeat with the olive and pickles but in slightly bigger pieces (or slices if you'd like).  

Drain the tuna then place in a med size bowl. Mix together with the mayo. Next add the red pepper, olives, pickles and lemon juice. Mix well.

Lay out the celery on a plate. “fill” each stalk with the tuna mixture and serve each one with 3 asparagus. 

*In my version I omitted the pickles (I forgot them actually lol), added a hard-boiled egg, and served as more of a tuna salad without the celery. 

*Just a side note: white asparagus is really popular here in Spain but if you can’t find it (or don’t like it) that’s ok because it only a side to this dish.

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Mac and Cheese

(recipe can be found at www.soulfoodonline.net. Link to recipe: macaroni and cheese)

Ingredients:

16 oz box of elbow macaroni

1 stick of butter (softened)

1 13 oz can evaporated milk

1 block of sharp cheddar cheese (approx. 16 oz)

1 block of mild cheddar cheese (approx. 8 oz)

1 small box of Velveeta

1 4 oz. Can of Jalapeno peppers, chopped

Salt and Pepper

Preparation:

Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Cook about 1 minute less than the package directions.

While the macaroni is cooking cut 16 oz block of cheese into small cubes and slice Velveeta into pieces. Then, take the cooked macaroni, drain but do not rinse. Return the macaroni to pot. Add butter, milk, cheese cubes and slices to hot macaroni. Mix well, until butter and Velveeta melt. The mixture will be soupy. The cheese cubes will not melt completely. Add peppers. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour into baking dish. Cover the top with remaining cheese (grated, sliced or cut into cubes). Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. You want the top to brown and the pasta to set. 

 








*Of course I made some variations to this recipe, as always, this time mostly because I couldn't find certain ingredients. I used spiral noodles (you can use whatever you like), white cheddar (vs. sharp cheddar), Gouda (vs. mild cheddar) and some white sandwich cheese (vs. Velveeta). I also omitted the jalapeno peppers. Since I don't have an oven here I just did everything over the stove (instead of adding the cheese to the top and putting it in the oven I just added it in with everything else). The recipe came out good but it will come out even better if you put it in the oven, as the recipe asks.

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Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Yield: 4

Difficulty: medium

Active Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients:

500g ground beef (a little more than 1lb)

150g tomato sauce (5oz)

1 Tbsp breadcrumbs

1 egg, beaten

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 bouillon cube dissolved in water (about 4 cups)

½ Tbsp garlic salt

1 tsp parsley (dried)

1 tsp ground pepper

Flour (about ¼- ½ cup)

Optional: green peas (1/2 cup), ¼ onion chopped, 1-2 garlic cloves chopped

Preparation:

Mix the ground beef, egg, 1 Tbsp tomato sauce, parsley and garlic salt. Let the mixture rest for a little bit. While the mixture is resting pour flour onto a plate. Next take about a Tbsp of the meat mixture and roll into a ball. Roll ball through the flour, coating all sides. Set aside and repeat with remaining mixture.

Using a medium/large pot, add the olive oil (you may need to add more, you want enough oil to coat the bottom of the pot) and heat over medium heat. Once olive oil is hot but not smoking add in the meatballs. Brown meatballs on all sides for about 10 minutes. Once browned add in water with bouillon seasoning, the rest of the tomato sauce and any of the option items (peas, onion, garlic). Continue to cook over medium heat for 30 minutes. The sauce with thicken and the meatballs with cook all the way through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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Potatoes with Curry Yogurt Dressing

Yield: 4

Difficulty: Easy

Active Time: 30min

Total Time: 45min

Ingredients:

1 Kilo potatoes (2 lbs)

1 (small) container natural yogurt

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp dried parsley

water

Ground pepper

Salt

Optional: 1 garlic clove minced, ¼ onion chopped, ¼ tsp paprika

Preparation:

Peel the potatoes and cut into medium sized pieces (quarters for smaller potatoes). Fill a large pot with water and season with salt (1 tspn salt for every 4 cups water). Add potatoes and place over medium high heat. Boil until cooked through- about 20 minutes- check by using a fork to stick into potato, it should be easy to stick in but not falling apart. Once cooked through drain the potatoes and set aside.

*I also added a carrot chopped into med sized pieces and added to the water in the last 5 min in order for them to cook (carrots will take less time to cook).

While you’re cooking the potatoes start making the sauce. In a small sauce pan add the yogurt, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 3-4 Tbsp water, sugar, parsley and curry. Also add the optional items at this point as well. Heat all over medium heat. Use whisk and keep stirring to keep sauce from burning. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook the sauce for about 5 min. If sauce becomes too thick, add water. Once finished place potatoes on a plate, pour sauce over and serve.

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Alcachofas (Artichokes) a la Navarra

Yield:  4

Difficulty: Easy

Active Time: 30min

Total Time: 45min-1.5hours

*There is such a variation in the total time because it depends on if you use a “express” pot or not. Since they don’t really exist (at least I’ve never seen them) you will most likely have to use a regular pot with a lid and this will take more time. The “express” pot has a lid that seals to the pot and cooks with steam, cooking the food more rapidly than a regular pot with lid.

Ingredients:

1 Kilo artichokes- small ones if you can find them (2 lbs)

100g ham/thick bacon- chopped (3.5 oz)

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp flour

1 garlic clove, minced

1 lemon, rinsed and cut in half

½ Tbsp Salt

Preparation:

Clean the artichokes, taking off the hard, outer leaves. Cut off the tops and then cut in half. Squeeze half the lemon over the halved artichokes. In a large pot, place the artichokes, fill with water until they are covered (about half filled). Add salt and the other lemon half. Place over medium-high heat and cover with lid for about an hour. If you have an “express” pot, use that instead and cook for 15-20min instead. 

After artichokes have cooked through and are soft in the middle, drain water into a bowl and set aside for the sauce. In a med-large sauce pan heat up the olive oil, add the garlic and ham/bacon. Cook for a few minutes until the garlic begins to turn brown but before it burns. With a whisk, mix in the flour and a 1-2 cups of the water from cooking the artichokes. After flour is mixed in add the mixture to the large pot along with the artichokes. Let cook over medium-low heat for another 10-15 min then serve.

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Fish and Seafood Soup

Yield: 6
Difficulty: Medium
Active Time: ?
Total Time: ?

Ingredients:
1 kilogram red hake (or similar white fish) (2lbs)
100 grams shrimp (uncooked and unpeeled) (1/4lb)
150 grams clams (1/3lb)
1/2 leek
1 medium carrot
1/2 onion
1 cup tomato sauce (unflavored)
1 splash of white wine

the SQUID!

100 grams bread (1/4lb)- cut into slices
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 liters water (6 1/2 cups water)
olive oil
salt
parsley (dried or fresh)
*I also added squid (just make to to cut into round slices while you cut up the fish)

Preparation:
Remove the "shells" of the shrimp, scrub/wash the carrot and then skin it, cut the leek into round slices (about 1/2 inch thick) and remove spin from fish (if it came with one). Take out a large pot and add the water. Make a broth by adding shells, the end pieces of the leek, carrot skin, spine of fish (if you have it available) all to the water. Cook over medium heat and let sit while you work with the other ingredients.

Chop the onions, slice the carrot. Take out another pot, add about a tablespoon of olive oil the leeks, chopped onion, garlic clove, carrots and place over medium heat. Let it fry for a few minutes. Next add the bread, white wine and the tomato sauce. Let fry a few more minutes while you remove the shrimp shells and spine from the broth. Now add the broth to the other pan. Add salt to taste and let sit 15 minutes

While the liquid mixture cooks, place the clams in salted water (about 15-20min). Chop the fish (and other seafood if using) into medium sized pieces.

After the broth mixture has been cooking for about 15min, run a hand blender through the mix to get rid of any solid pieces. If you don't have a hand mixer,  scoop out the solid pieces and run through the blender, then re-add to the liquid mix *Be careful when blending hot items*

Next add in the clams and turn down the heat a little bit. Then add the shrimp, fish and any other seafood being used. Let the soup cook for about 5min and then serve. Garnish with parsley

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Vegetable Wrap

Yield: 4
Difficulty: easy
Active Time: 20min
Total Time 30min

Ingredients:
2 zucchini
1 onion
1 eggplant
100 grams mushrooms (1/4 lb)
1 natural yogurt cup
40 grams grated cheese (1/3 cup)
3 Tbsp olive oil
tortillas (4)
salt

Preparation:

Chop up the zucchini, onion, eggplant, and mushrooms. Take out a medium sized pot and fill half-way with water. Add a pinch of salt and turn on burner to medium high. When boiling add 1/2 the zucchini and let cook for 6 minutes. Then strain out the water, add the zucchini (cooked) and yogurt into a bowl (I also added about 1/8 cup chopped onion and 1 garlic clove). Blend together with a hand mixer or in a blender and add the grated cheese.


Using a large pan, add 2 Tbsp olive oil and the onions and cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. The add the zucchini (uncooked), eggplant, mushrooms, salt and pepper (to taste). Cook for about 10 minutes (I also added in a garlic clove to this as well as 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cumin and a touch of curry).


After the veggie mix is done, add to a tortilla along with the sauce! Super good and HEALTHY! You can also make this into a veggie crepes but that takes a little more for the crepes...so I just made a wrap.

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Tuna Burgers 
*the recipe is super yummy*


Yield: 4-6
Difficulty: easy
Active Time: 15 min
Total Time: 25min

Ingredients: 
600 grams canned tuna (1.3 lbs/21 oz)
1 egg
1 Tbsp parsley, rinsed (if fresh)
4-6 slices of wheat bread (depends on how many patties you make)
100 g mixed salad (3.5oz)
2 greek yogurts (this should be thicker than regular yogurt)
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
about 3 green onions
about 2 Tbsp dill, rinsed (if fresh)
coarse salt
pepper
*I also added about 1/8 cup onions, 1/8 cup zucchini, and 2 garlic cloves all finely chopped
**I couldn't get my hands on any dill so I just omitted that and make my own variation on Tzatziki sauce. For that you can omit the dill and green onion, replace with 1/2 cucumber (about 1/4 cup) and 1/4 medium onion (about 1/8 cup).

Preparation:
Drain the juice from the tuna cans and set "dry" tuna aside (there will still be some liquid left). Beat the egg in a medium bowl. Add the tuna and mix together. Chop up the parsley and add to the tuna mix along with about 2 pinches coarse salt, pepper and any other ingredients you want in the patties (such as onions, zucchini and garlic). Once mixed together divide the mixture into 4-6 parts and make into patties (depending on how big you'd like them). Set the patties aside.

Making the sauce:
Chop up the dill and green onion, mix them in with the yogurt along with 2 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper (to taste).
*To make the Tzatziki sauce, peel the cucumber and chop up. Chop up the onion into long thin slices, about 1/2-1/4 in thick. Add the cucumber to the yogurt and mix with a hand blender (or regular blender). Add in the onion but don't mix with the blender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Rinse off lettuce and set aside.

Toast bread, meanwhile cooking the tuna patties.

To cook tuna patties:
Get out a large pan, add 1 Tbsp oil and place over medium to medium high heat. Gently place patties inside pan and cook about 2-3 minutes on each side.

*Tip: the tuna patties fall apart easily so placed one section of the divided mixture in the pan before placing it over the heat (but after adding the oil) and formed the patty in the pan. While cooking make sure to squash the patties with a spatula just a little in order to compact them more. Be very careful while flipping the patties because they will try to break apart.

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Caramelized pork with apple puree

Yield: 4
Difficulty: easy
Active Time: 20min
Total Time: 40-50min
*575 calories/serving

Ingredients:

2 pork loins (or you can substitute with chicken or turkey) weighing a little less than a pound a piece (400g a piece)

3 Fuji apples

7 tbsp soy sauce (1 dl)

¼ cup sugar (50g)

½ cup raisins (100g)

1 garlic clove

2 oranges

2 Tbsp sherry vinegar

Olive oil

Salt and pepper for seasoning

Preparation:

Making the apple puree:

Peel and core the apples. Place in a medium size pot and add enough water to cover the apples. Heat the pot over medium heat, cook the apples for about 15minutes until they are soft. After cooking, drain the water and puree the apples (either with a hand blender or place into a blender). Set aside.

Next, prepare the meat by cutting off the fat (what you can). 

Sauce:

Into a bowl, juice the oranges and filter/remove as much pulp as possible. After, peel and mince the garlic. Next, place a large pan over medium heat and add the soy sauce, vinegar and sugar. Stir to mix together and keep stirring for a few minutes until the mixture begins to thicken a little. Add the orange juice. Turn down the heat to low and stir every so often to let the sauce thicken. After another few minutes, add the raisins. Keep stirring every few minutes on low heat while you prepare the meat.

Season the meat on all sides with salt and pepper. Place a pan over medium heat with about 1-2 Tbsp olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan). Place the meat in the pan and let cook on one side for about 10 minutes. Flip over and let cook another 10 minutes (you don’t want the meat to be cooked all the way through at this point). Next add the sauce to the pan with the meat (or vice versa) and cook another 10-15 minutes on low heat. Flip the meat over about every 5 minutes so all sides are coated well in the sauce. Make sure to stir/move around the sauce while cooking so it doesn’t stick to the pan.

Once the meat is done just place on your plate, cut into slices, drizzle sauce over. Place a large spoonful of apple puree next to the meat and you’re ready to eat!

*You may want to double the sauce recipe. I found mine ran a little bit short on sauce.

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 Potaje 

*typical Spanish soup

Ingredients:
1/2 lb garbanzos (best to soak them overnight or use garbanzos from a jar/can)
1 whole potato (peeled)
3 cloves of garlic (peeled)
1 large or 2 med tomatoes
1 whole green pepper (stem and seeds inside need to be removed before using)
1 small onion (both ends cut off and outside layer)
3 tbsp olive oil
salt
tsp smoked paprika

Preparation:
Place all the ingredients in a pressure cooker and add water. Water should be just high enough to cover everything in the pot, NOT filled to the top. Place over medium heat. Cook for about 40minutes after the pressure pot starts to whistle. Then let steam out, open up pot and fish out the cooked vegetables. Place them in a bowl, blend them together (with a hand blender or regular blender) and add the paprika.




Add the mixture back to the pot with the garbanzos and mix together. Add salt and pepper to taste, AND DONE!

*The only thing I find difficult about this recipe is that most people I know (in the states) don't have a pressure cooker. SO, you can still do this recipe but it will take a longer. You take the same steps but place everything into a large pot. Place over medium heat and cook for about 2-3 hours (I suppose you can also do this in a slow cooker too). At that point the vegetables should be cooked and the garbanzos "soft", then follow the same steps of blending the vegetables together.


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Fettucine Primavera with Smoked Salmon

*I found this recipe on the box of Portlock Smoked Salmon from Seattle (my parents sent it to me)*

Yield: 4-6

Difficulty: easy
Active Time: 30min
Total Time: 50min

Ingredients: 
1 lb. pasta (any type)
1/2 lb. fresh snow peas (I substituted for asparagus, cut into 1-in long pieces)
1 roasted red sweet pepper (cut into strips)
8oz. Port Chatham smoked salmon (or other brand of good quality smoked salmon)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, minced (I used 2)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp parsley
*in addition I added 3 extra large mushrooms, chopped into big pieces and about 1/8 onion cut into thin slices
*more optional items: a dash or two of red pepper flakes, 1 tsp oregano
salt
pepper

Preparation:

For the pasta, set a large pot of water over medium heat. While you're waiting for a water to boil, follow the next steps.

Mince the garlic and chop/slice/cut up the vegetables that you'll be using. If you plan on using "hard" vegetables such as asparagus, carrots, etc. make sure to place them into boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes before starting the next step. 

In a large pan, heat olive oil, garlic, snow peas, sweet pepper (or any other vegetable you choose to use) and cook for a few minutes minutes, over medium heat. *I recommend you place in the garlic (and onion if you choose to add) first and let that cook for about a minute before adding the other vegetables. Remember- you don't want the garlic to burn so if the pan is too hot, turn the heat down.

**Let's not forget about our pasta! Once the water is boiling, add a little bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt into the water. Then add in the pasta. Follow the package instructions from there (make sure to stir the pasta every few minutes!)

Now, Add salt, pepper and any other seasonings you want to use to the veggie mix. Then add the cream to the mix and bring to a slight boil. Turn down the heat so it's only a very gentle boil. *In this step I also added some spreadable cheese (about 2 tbsp) to make the sauce a touch thicker.

Let the sauce cook for a few minutes while the pasta finishes cooking. Right before the pasta is done, add the salmon, cheese and parsley to the cream sauce (this step is optional- you can also add the cheese, salmon and parsley to the pasta as a topping right before serving...also VERY yummy).

Drain the pasta. In a bowl, combine the pasta and the cream sauce. Add salt and pepper as needed and SERVE!

What's a good side dish for this??? SALAD

Here's a salad I made that looks amazing and tastes great:

Salad and Homemade Dressing

Ingredients:
Lettuce/spinach/salad mix
corn (about 2 spoonfuls for each person)
beets (about 1/4 for each person)
strawberries (2 per person)

Dressing for 2 people:
2 tbsp olive oil
1.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove (minced)
pinch of salt and pepper
tsp brown sugar
*optional- squirt of Worcestershire sauce


Preparation:
Wash off the lettuce and remove as much access water as possible. Chop up the beets- size can vary depending on what size you like.

To cut the strawberries the same as in the picture:
First, rinse them off but do not remove the stems. Next, set them on the cutting board with the stems down (stems touching the cutting board). You need to cut from top to bottom, cutting down towards the stem but not cutting all the way to it (it should be very close though). Each slice should be 1/4 inch thick or less. Once the strawberry is all cut from one side to the other, you can "fan" it out for a pretty display. See the picture for an example.

Get out your plates, place the lettuce on top and decorate with the corn and beets. Place the strawberries on the salad as well.

To make the dressing, add all ingredients together and mix well. Add directly to the salad and you're done.

**If you don't like corn or beets, here are some other fun combinations:
1. Gourmet Salad: apples/pears, blue cheese or goat cheese and walnuts
    -apples/pears should be very thinly sliced
    -the walnuts are even better if you roast them in the oven for 5-10minutes
    -the blue cheese/goat cheese should be "crumbled" over the salad

2. Spanish Salad: canned tuna, carrots, corn, canned/jarred asparagus
   -carrots should be shredded
   -tomatoes can also be added
   -When serving, the ingredients are usually not spread all over the salad but rather "sectioned off" so 1/4 is covered in corn, 1/4 in carrots, etc.


Eggplant with Mushrooms
Light Paella

Ensaladilla Rusa

Pumpkin Cream Soup

Pork sirloin in tomato sauce

Sauteed Collard Greens (american dish)

Cod and Orange Salad